Barrington Stage Company

North Adams, and Mass MoCA now celebrating its 10th anniversary, have come a long way from rock bottom when Sprague Electric left town, during the 13 terms of Mayor John Barrett, Jr. For the first time in 26 years Barrett has a tough opponent in Dick Albombright. Some 800 plus turned out for a spaghetti dinner fundraiser last week. It's shaping up to be a tight race.

During a mixer that Nancy Jane Fitzpartick held in the Lion's Den of the historic Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge there was the chance to put a face in the place. The event was about Facebook networking in all of its complexity.

When General Electric moved out in the late 1980s, with 10,000 lost jobs, Pittsfield fell on hard times. The recovery started in 2003 when the new Mayor, James M. Ruberto, mandated that arts and culture would be a focus for economic development. Megan Whilden disussed how she joined the team in 2005 and the remarkable progress since then that has reshaped the city as a cultural destination.

Here's your weekly guide to the top events happening in and around the Berkshires with more than a dozen exciting and fascinating offerings for you to choose from.

The annual season of exhibitions for the artist run Eclipse Mill Gallery in North Adams, Mass. has gotten a jump start with "Young at Art" a survey of work produced by Drury, Mt. Greylock, and BArT students. This leadoff project co presented with North Adams Open Studios will be followed by the second annual Berkshire Salon on the Memorial Day weekend.

Despite a drastic 20% budget cut Kate Maguire, the artistic director and CEO of Berkshire Theatre Festival is excitied about the coming season and the return of Randy Harrison in Ibsen's "Ghosts." During an upbeat interview she stated that "I'm not a director. I love directors. I'm married to one (Eric Hill). I love directing directors and I wanted to build a director's theatre."

This past weekend provided a perfect Spring Break from the monotony of the Berkshire mud season. With offerings of comedy and drama, high art and low, these were the first tender shoots of the Berkshire's bountiful season that is preparing to burst into bloom.

Happily, midwinter in the Berkshires is anything but quiet. In fact, that's when many of our resident cultural institutions do their best work. A survey of what's coming up between now and Spring.

Barrington's Main Stage will feature audience favorites Carousel, Streetcar Named Desire and Sleuth, while on Stage 2 Mark St. Germain's Freud's Last Session will receive its world premiere, followed by Glen Berger's off-Broadway hit, Underneath the Lintel. Bill Finn's Musical Theatre Lab will be back with two workshops, as will the Barrington Stage Company's Youth Theatre presenting Disney's High School Musical 2.

With $4 a gallon gas and a sinking economy 2008 was a challenge for arts and tourism in the Berkshires. But our contibutors covered not only the Berkshires but arts and culture in New York, Boston, London, New Orleans and Shanghai. We reflect on some of the highlights.

With remarkable affection and daunting energy Tom Beckett, in a smash hit, one man show, compresses the 1946 Frank Carpa 130 minute film "It's a Wonderful Life" to just an hour and twenty minutes while portraying some 30 characters. During these hard times our spirits soar as Clarence the Angel earns his wings.

The beginning of winter is marked by theatre, music and dance throughout the world, but perhaps nowhere is it more heartfelt than here in the Berkshires. This Thanksgiving let us give thanks to our arts community and then get out and enjoy their offerings. Your guide awaits.

Harper Lee's 1960 novel of coming to age in a racist town in the Deep South in the mid 1930s "To Kill a Mockingbird" won the Pulitzer Prize for literature. It has become a standard in class rooms. And an inspiration to the many students attending and writing reports on this stunning Barrington Stage Company production.

Three dozen productions emerged from our four resident theatre companies this Summer making it the busiest Berkshire season in memory. Quality was surprisingly high given the hectic pace of productions. As Fall approaches, we offer you one person's opinion as to the best and the worst for 2008.

Memories of many wonderful nights in the Shed and under the stars on the lawn at Tanglewood. As well as superb Berkshire theatre.

Despite the challenges of rainy weather,gas at $4 a gallon, and a bad economy it was a superb season of theatre in the Berkshires. Nicholas Martin was the MVP for putting the venerable Williamstown Theatre Festival back on its feet.

The Berkshire Hills are very much alive this fall. Choose from the ridiculous or the sublime, from the Ballet Trockaderos with men in tutus and on pointe to the arrival of Irina Brook at Shakespeare & Company to wrest a play from Oscar Wilde's book, The Canterville Ghost. For a complete change of pace, the Cirque du Soleil is coming to Amherst and Boston.

A perfect storm of cool, rainy weather, $4 a gallon gas, and a lousy economy caused the coining of a new term "Staycation" during the summer of 2008. While clearly an off year Berkshire arts and tourism held their own largely through its range of world class offerings.

Currently there are two Noel Coward plays on view in the Berkshires. "Noel Coward in Two Keys" runs at the Berkshire Theatre Festival through August 30 while "Private Lives" continues through August 24. During 2007 there were Coward plays at Huntington Theatre and American Repertory Theatre as well as Williamstown Theatre Festival. Can you ever get enough of Noel Coward?

See Rock City at Barrington Stage Company is a musical about people and the choices they make, regardless of where in life they find themselves. It proves that no matter where you go, there you are.

Few plays have stood the test of time as well as Private Lives. Like a well made Hot Fudge Sundae, it brings back memories of happier times, when couples were young, scrappy and ever so truly, madly, deeply in love. Barrington Stage has freshened up this old chestnut, and it is funnier and more delightful than ever.

Berkshire residents are reveling in an amazing array of area arts offerings. Our monthly Preview serves to help guide your choices with helpful facts, insider details and handy links. The only mistake would be to procrastinate. Nothing gold can stay.

A Man for All Seasons is the story of Sir Thomas More, who refused to bend to King Henry VIII. The King insisted the Roman Catholic Chuch allow him a second divorce so that he could marry Ann Boleyn and father a male heir. Rome refused, he established the Church of England, and his old friend Thomas More had to be eliminated.

Barrington Stage Company presents the overlooked 2003 play by Tony Award winning author Richard Greenberg. After a slow first act the second act was most amusing.

Each summer Barrington Stage Company runs a musical workshop program under the direction of Tony-winning composer William Finn. While not ready for review, Berkshire photographer Kevin Sprague documented this new production. Here's a preview in the form of a photo album of what happens on stage. It is great fun.